I'll Try To Fix You
by Joseph Haney
Summary: After losing someone she cares about to Grindelwald, Tina turns to Newt for comfort.


"Newt?" Tina called as she stepped out of the magiozoologist's workshop and looked around his make-shift zoo where he kept his creatures. He had disappeared into his case almost immediately after the handful of survivors of Grindelwald's attack had arrived at Nicolas Flamel's home. Tina had followed a few minutes later as everyone else had quietly gone to separate corners of the house, presumably to process what had happened.

She walked past a number of creatures, most of which she recognized from either Newt's book or their previous encounter in New York. She paused briefly as she locked eyes with the Occamys, one of which she'd helped him recover, a small smile appearing at the memory. But it quickly faded and she continued her search.

She found Newt at his work station, preparing food for his creatures. Taking a deep breath, Tina moved toward him. "Newt?" she said. A quick glance in her direction and a small nod was the only acknowledgement she received. It was a simple gesture, but it was enough to throw off Tina's concentration for a brief moment.

"I, uh…Nicolas said something about putting on some tea," she said. "I just wanted to see if you wanted any."

Newt shook his head. "No, I…I'm not in the mood for tea at the moment," he said.

Tina nodded and, unsure of what else to do, she turned to leave.

"How's Theseus?" Newt called from behind her.

"Oh, he….he's gone to bed," she replied as she turned around. "At least that's what he said before he went upstairs. I think he probably just wanted to be alone."

Newt nodded and returned his attention to his work. Tina hesitated for a moment, then started back toward him. "How…how are you holding up?" she asked. "I know you and Leta were close…"

"We were," Newt said. "Quite close, once upon a time. But that was a long time ago." He lapsed into silence, his eyes falling to the food he'd been preparing. His arms didn't move and Tina had a good idea about what was going through his head.

"If…if you ever want to talk about…anything, I'm here for you," she said, gently placing a hand on his.

They stood in silence for a few moments, Tina watching Newt to see if he would take her up on the offer. He didn't turn to her, though she did notice his eyes flit toward their hands. After a moment of this, she slowly withdrew her hand. "I…I should go report to the MCUSA," she said. "Update them on the status of Credence and Grindelwald and…everything." She took a deep breath and yet again turned to leave.

"Tina?" he called after her, causing her to turn almost instantly. He'd turned from the work table to face her. "I…I saw what happened," he said, fidgeting somewhat awkwardly as he tried to maintain eye contact. "With Queenie, I mean. I…I know that you two are quite close…" He trailed off, as though considering how best to phrase his next words. "Are…are you alright?"

Had anyone else asked the question, Tina would have certainly maintained her demeanor, assuring them that she was fine, or at least as fine as she could be. But hearing the question from Newt, knowing that he was likely in just as much pain as he was, it caused the walls she'd been putting up for the last few hours to begin to crumble.

"I don't know, Newt," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "I honestly don't know…" She trailed off as the tears began flowing and she fought to maintain some semblance of composure. She closed her eyes tight against the tears in a vain effort to keep them from falling and soon felt Newt's hands on her shoulders.

"Come with me," he said as she opened her eyes. He guided her toward his tool shed and gestured for her to sit on the steps. As she did so, he stepped inside for a moment, returning a moment later with a small flask, which he offered to Tina. "Drink this," he said. "It will help."

Reluctantly, she took the flask and took a sip of its contents, choking a little on the potency of the drink. "What is this?" she asked.

"Fire whiskey," Newt said. "I keep a little on hand for emergencies. One of the few habits I managed to pick up from my father."

Tina nodded and took another sip, enjoying it a little more now that she was aware of what was coming. "Thank you," she said as she handed the flask back to Newt.

They sat in silence or a moment before Tina took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "I can't help but think that what happened was my fault," she said. "If I hadn't left America, if I hadn't been so obsessed with finding Credence…" she trailed off as a fresh wave of tears threatened to overwhelm her. She shook her head, trying to retain control of her emotions. "Maybe I could have helped her."

"Perhaps," Newt said with a small nod. "If anyone could have convinced her not to…not to go, it would have been you." He took a small sip of the fire whiskey and offered the flask to her. They again lapsed into silence for a few minutes, occasionally exchanging the drink.

"What are you going to do?" Newt asked to break the silence.

Tina shook her head, not wanting to hear herself say 'I don't know' again. "When the MCUSA find out about Queenie, and they will, whether I include that in my report or not, she officially becomes a wanted criminal. They'll probably question me about her, and if they don't like my answers they'll make sure I'm not allowed within ten feet of any case involving Grindelwald or his followers…" She trailed off, looking to Newt. "What do you think I should do?"

Newt seemed caught off guard by the question, but after a moment, he began an answer. "In all of my studies of creatures, I've found one thing that nearly all of them have in common with humans," he said. "They are protective of those they consider family. If a member of their family is in trouble, they will do whatever they can to come to their aid, no matter what."

Tina studied him for a moment. "That's not true is it?" she asked. "About most of the species having that in common with humans?"

"No," Newt admitted. "At least, not entirely. In actuality, there are many species that are loners and prefer to keep to themselves. But there are several that do act like that. And, for the most part, humans are like that too. At least in my…more recent observations." He forced his gaze to meet hers, as if to drive home the point he was trying to make.

Tina nodded, a thin smile spreading over her face. "Thank you, Newt," she said softly, taking his hand. "I needed to hear that." She held his gaze for a moment longer, then leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.

She felt him tense a little, then relax, though his cheeks did turn a rather bright shade of red. "You…You're quite welcome," he said. After a moment, he stood. "I…I really should get back to work," he muttered. "Feeding time is long overdue, and I don't want to upset the routine more than I already have."

Tina let out a small sigh and got to her feet. "And I still have a report to file, so I should go," she said. Her eyes lingered on Newt as a million things she wanted to say ran through her head. Ultimately, she decided against all of them and turned to leave.

"Actually," Newt said, causing Tina to turn back yet again. "There are quite a few creatures to feed and…it would go faster with someone helping me."

Tina nodded and began rolling up her sleeves. "I'd love to help," she said with a smile.


End file.
